Euro RSCG targets European health care market

Published on September 19, 1996.

PARIS -- Euro RSCG, Europe's second largest ad agency network, is expandingits presence in the European healthcare sector with the appointment of amarketer who has worked with pharmaceutical companies such Sandoz andGlaxo.

Daniel Teper joins Euro RSCG as senior vice president Europe. He is taskedwith developing the group's healthcare activities, starting with Germanyand the U.K., as well as expanding the internationalisation of existingaccounts held by the group's healthcare agencies.

Euro RSCG CEO Europe Nick Baum says the network is reinforcing its presencein the healthcare field. "We are already well represented in France, GreatBritain and Italy. We want to significantly increase our position inGermany. Daniel will also co-ordinate our European activities with ouragencies in the U.S., Lally McFarland & Pantello Euro RSCG and Robert A.Becker Euro RSCG,'' says Baum. Other agencies in the healthcare group areEuro RSCG Audience in France, Equipe in Italy, Euro RSCG Healthcare inGermany and WCRS Healthcare in the U.K.

Minister regrets changing rules

LONDON -- The U.K. government's decision to remove the restrictions onreligious advertising has come under fire this week as U.S. Church ofScientology mounts its first TV ad campaign in the country.

The ads, which purport to advocate trust between peoples of all nations,are being screened on satellite channels U.K. Gold and U.K. Living.

But many commentators and anti-cult campaigners are up in arms that theScientology movement is able to promote itself on U.K. TV. David Mellor,the government minister for National Heritage when the law was changed in1990, and now a Member of Parliament, believes Parliament would not havevoted for the change if religions outside the mainstream in the U.K. wereexpected to attempt to advertise. He now says: "I think this is a very badthing, albeit on two very limited satellite channels."

Before the ads reached the screen, the Independent Television Commissionhad to decide whether the movement was a religion and should therefore betreated as such under advertising law.